Betrayal of the Heart
by FunahoMisaki
Summary: Based off of Aria Mordreds Betrayal is Silver this is a story where the I.T.C.H. girls decide to get rid of Will. However they don't know that they've just made the biggest mistake of their lives because she rings in others much stronger than them and trains for a very long time all for revenge and freedom. Rated M for probably some graphic scenes.
1. Chapter 1

"That's the last of them." Will said after she finished zapping the last of the Lurdens that were attacking a small village about two hours away from the castle. Elyon had asked them for aid since she was busy stopping another squadron of Lurdens that were attacking the castle itself.

"Not quite. Now!" Cornelia called when Will had turned to look for more enemies, trusting her friends to watch her back. Something which was a very grave mistake. A blast of fire to her back had Will crying out in pain as the back of her Guardian top was burned away, leaving bad blisters and burns on her back as well as frying her wings.

"Wha-" Will managed to ask weakly as Hay-lin caught her with a smirk on her face when Will fell from the sky because her wings were now useless.

"Nice one Tara. You burned her wings to stubs! She used to fly like a chicken and now she has the wings to match." Hay-lin gave a dark giggle as she looked at Will's now gone wings. There were just a small stub of what looked like bones left of them.

"Let's hurry up and finish this. I don't want to have to look at or deal with Miss Perfect Keeper any longer than I have to." Cornelia said with a sneer, making Hay-lin grin and begin to spin in place with Will still in her arms.

"Remember to make it look mostly natural." Irma said with a snicker as Hay-lin used her air powers and momentum to slam Will into the side of the cliff they had been fighting near. Will hit the cliff side _hard/_and fell to the ground hard enough to leave a crater. Her bones were definitely broken from that. Will only felt pain as her eyes closed, she was in too much pain to move or open her eyes as the others landed near her.

"So just a bit of water to drown her in just in case..." Irma said putting an inch or two of water in the hole where Will lay. They couldn't tell if she was unconscious or dead so it was better safe than sorry. They only had this one chance at this after all and if they failed...

"Now to make it look like an accident." Cornelia said grinning as she used her powers over Earth to shake some of the rocks loose from the cliff and fall on top of Will. By the time the blonde was done and the dust had lifted Will was almost completely buried under the rocks with just a single arm showing clad in a pink sleeve.

"Shouldn't we have gotten the Heart from her before we buried her? How are we going to go back to Earth or change back to normal without it?" Hay-lin asked even as she watched the rocks for a few minutes and noting the blood starting to stain Will's sleeve.

"Even with its Keeper dead only the Oracle can take the Heart by force remember? Let's get Elyon to open a fold to Kandrakar and tell them the _tragic_ news." Taranee said causing the others to nod and begin to fly, only for Cornelia to stop and look back at the blood stained sleeve and unmoving arm sticking out from the rocks.

"Hold on a second." Cornelia said as she flew back down and walked over to the arm, ripping the sleeve off.

"Without proof Elyon might try to dig Will out. Now let's go see our dear friend the queen. We need to tell her about the _accident."_ Cornelia said smirking darkly as she led the way back to the palace, none of them aware of the witnesses that had hidden in the bush and seen everything. None of them turned back to look a second time at what they had done.

If they had they might have seen the five shadows attached to _nothing_ moving towards the buried Will who was still barely alive. They never heard, not even Hay-lin with her super hearing, the inhuman growls in the area as a cave was unburied by the rocks Cornelia had used.

They never knew until it was far too late that they had just made the biggest mistake of their lives.


	2. Chapter 2

**Betrayal of the Heart**

**By: FunahoMisaki**

**(A/N: I own nothing.)**

"Finally done." Elyon said sighing in relief as she sat in her throne. She was worn out rom leading her troops against the Lurdens that had attacked the castle and village close by. For some reason the Lurdens had seemed more dangerous and savage than ever, stronger as well.

There had only been a small squadron of them but if it wasn't for the troops training and Elyon's magic then they would have suffered a lot of casualties. Now she had time to take a small break before she had to focus her attention on allocating resources in order to rebuild the places that had been destroyed by the Lurdens as well as making sure that those who had been hurt were tended to and the dead were given an honorable burial.

Why did most girls want to be princesses when they were little? It sucked honestly.

"Elyon!" The sound of Cornelia's panicked voice had her eyes snapping open and she was almost immediately on her feet as the Guardians flew in.

The Guardians all had red puffy eyes and tears running down their cheeks, they all knew that they had to absolutely nail this part. To that degree Cornelia had put sand in each of their eyes, including her own, in order to make them cry.

Taranee had altered each of their memories just enough so that it would look like Will had been buried by the rock slide saving Irma, but not altered enough to tip off someone like Halinor who had experience with her psychic powers.

Hay-lin had created a small tornado of dirt around each of them in turn in order to make it look as if they had been clawing through the dirt and close to a rockslide that kicked up dirt and dust.

All of that added to their slightly torn outfits from the fight itself…it had made them quite a sight to see.

"Cornelia! What happened? Where's Will?" Elyon asked noticing that the red head who had been helping her learn how to be a better leader was nowhere to be seen as the other four practically collapsed onto the ground.

"El…Elyon…please…please open a fold to Kandrakar. We…we need to tell everyone…at the same time." Cornelia's voice was wavering as if she were trying to be strong and hold back her tears. Irma was unusually quiet behind Cornelia as she tried to silently comfort Hay-lin and was being comforted at the same time.

"Blunk go to Earth and get the Former Guardians…they need to know too." Taranee managed to choke out as she looked at the passling that seemed to know that now was not the time for one of his 'deals' that he was so fond of offering to all but Blunk.

"Let's go…" Elyon said quietly as she opened the fold to the palace of Kandrakar. She had an idea of what had happened to Will. It was nearly being broadcasted in her face with all these clues. She just…didn't want to believe it.

"Hello Queen Elyon. Guardians. What can I do for you?" The Oracle asked with a serene smile that fell when he saw the Guardians rather messy state and that one was missing.

"We…should wait on the others." Taranee said swallowing heavily. She wasn't used to altering and forging memories, she had done the best she could while still trying to be discreet about it. She thought that they would hold up against Halinor who was a much more experienced mind walker than she was. If they didn't…

She wished she had taken those lessons on the mind arts last time when Halinor had offered.

"Hey what's the rush?" Cassidy asked as another fold opened nearby and the four remaining Former Guardians were nearly shoved through it by a surprisingly serious Blunk.

"Our first actual reunion in over 30 years and we get summoned by Kandrakar. Any bets on it being bad news?" Kadma asked dryly while looking at the others before she looked up and paused at the sight of the Guardians.

"Hay-lin! What happened?!" Yan-lin was immediately moving over to her granddaughter worriedly and Hay-lin felt new tears spring into her eyes at the question.

"Wait a sec. There's someone missing." Cassidy noticed as she looked over the Guardians and noticed that there was a certain someone missing.

"Wh-Where's Will?" Halinor asked swallowing thickly as she looked over the Guardians and then around the room, almost as if she expected the red head to jump out from behind a pillar.

"I…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Taranee was the one to break the silence that had fallen at Halinors question.

"Is she hurt or trapped somewhere? We can launch a rescue or heal her!" Halinor said and her voice sounded desperate even to her own ears. She had heard those words before, and she wished she hadn't.

"It…it was my fault." Irma said finally breaking her self-imposed silence and her voice sounded hoarse as she looked at the ground in guilt.

"Irma…explain." Cassidy said her voice soft but stern.

"I had…I was overconfident. I dodged one Lurden's spear but…but it had hit an unsteady rock on the cliff above me. Corny was busy with her own fight…" Irma trailed off a bit as she brought more water up to her eyes.

"I…I had heard it falling down but…but when I turned…Will saved Irma…she…she had telatransported. She changed places with Irma just in time for the rocks…for the rocks to…" Hay-lin trailed off as well as she broke down sobs, quickly being hugged by her grandmother who looked stricken at hearing this. After all Yan-lin had seen Will as another grandchild.

"By…by the time we finished with the Lurdens…we tried to dig her out but…but all we found…" Cornelia trailed off showing the bloody sleeve she was holding to the others.

"No…" Kadma's eyes widened in realization.

"There was just this and a lot of blood. We…we didn't find anything else…no hair…no bones…not even the Heart." Cornelia said swallowing thickly as Cassidy clenched her fists. The Council was shocked but Halinor and Elyon took the news the worst even if they had already suspected the truth.

"No…_WILL!"_ Elyon screamed as she broke down in sobs, sinking to the floor.

"No. No. No no no no no no…" Halinor didn't yell. Her voice was barely more than a whisper. Her telepathy however showed that she was internally screaming in denial and rage. They all heard it, it was reverberating in their skulls and it brought the younger guardians to their knees.

"Hali." Kadma rushed to try and sooth Halinor enough for the mental screams of anguish to stop.

Looking up they all sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of her face.

Unlike the current Guardians who's tears were noisy and open…Halinor was crying silent tears that cascaded down her face.

Another main difference between the Guardians and Halinors tears…Halinor's tears were made of lava as they trailed down her face, her mind screaming in sorrow and agony.

The Guardians had no clue what they had done when they had betrayed Will and left her for dead.


	3. Chapter 3

**Betrayal of the Heart**

**By: FunahoMisaki**

**(A/N: I own nothing.)**

"I will try to summon the Heart of Kandrakar." Oracle said looking devastated at what had befallen the red haired keeper. Kadma and Cassidy were trying to comfort Halinor while the Oracle held out his hand.

The Guardians watched in anticipation as he attempted to summon the Heart to his hand.

There was a brief green glow but when it faded the Heart was nowhere to be seen. The Oracle frowned at that.

"Strange." The Oracle said before he concentrated and tried again. This time the green glow was brighter but when it faded the Heart was still not there. Now the Oracle was outright glaring at his hand as if betrayed him and he focused one last time.

There was a bright green flash that nearly blinded those looking at it but still there was no Heart when it faded.

"This should be impossible…unless…" The Oracle showed surprise now, the rare emotion from the man making Halinor look up at him from the floor, the tears of lava still dripping down her cheeks to the floor where they solidified upon hitting the cool marble.

"Easy Hallie." Kadma was careful not to actually touch the lava as she kneeled down beside her friend to try and comfort her, Kadmas' old bones creaking and groaning the entire time but she didn't show it.

"The Heart should have returned to me. There are only two reasons that I can think of for the Heart to reject the summoning." The Oracle said frowning now as he hid his surprise and then looked sternly at the remaining four Guardians.

"How sure are you of young Will's demise?" The Oracle asked making Cornelia look disturbed and dismayed at the question. Inwardly she was panicking a bit. Were they found out? Could Taranee's mental adjustments stand up to the Oracle himself checking out their minds?

"I moved all the rocks and Tara tried telepathy while Hay-lin flew around the area in case she managed to teletransport away. She…She's gone." Cornelia said her voice wavering again as if she were trying to hold back her emotions and remain strong for the others.

"Then I'm afraid that we may have a very serious problem." The Oracle said just before the Guardians were forcefully de-transformed and they all collapsed to the floor rather hard.

"Hay-lin!" Yan-lin hurried to her granddaughters side while Cassidy left Halinor to Kadma as she helped Taranee up, Alfor and Tibor going to aid Cornelia and Irma respectfully.

"My powers…they're…" Irma seemed shocked and even in pain as Alfor helped her up.

"Luba! Hurry and check on the Aurameres! I'm afraid that what I feared is what happened." The Oracle said to the cat woman who had merely watched them revert to normal with a bit of sadistic glee hidden in her eyes. Luba nodded to him and then raced off towards the Auramere chamber immediately.

"What…happened?" Taranee asked as she leaned on Cassidy.

"I have sent Luba to check and see if my suspicions are confirmed." The Oracle said although his voice was a bit more strained than normal as he began to openly pace in front of them. Something was greatly troubling him…and the thought that something was troubling him to the point of pacing not only sent a chill down everyone's spines but also brought Halinor up out of her grief for a brief moment.

"Oracle?" Halinor's voice was wavering and unstead as she stood up, leaning slightly on Kadma for support since it seemed like all of her own energy was drained.

"Sir! The Aurameres!" Luba came rushing back in sounding panicked and with her fur singed.

"Luba!" Alfor and Tibor immediately dropped the Guardians they were supporting and ran to their friends side as she stumbled and hit the ground.

"Easy there Garfield." Tibor said picking her up and holding her up.

"Screw you Fido." Luba hissed when Alfor accidentally touched one of the more burnt patches of her fur. Elyon had jumped up from where she had still been on the floor and raced over.

"Here. I-I know how to heal her!" Elyon swallowed thickly as her hands glowed with a soft but bright white light.

"I'll be fine princess." Luba tried to push the girl away but Alfor stopped her as Elyon choked back tears.

"I'm not much use right now to anyone…I…the only thing I can do to be of use is heal. So please…let me help." Elyon said, her voice soft and sad as she looked a Luba desperately. Luba looked her right in the eyes and immediately relented.

Elyons eyes were two pools of sorrow and a desire to be useful. She had lost one of her closest friends today, hadn't even had a chance to _try _and help her. She didn't want to be useless enough that she couldn't help someone when she _was_ right there.

"Thank you." Luba relented in understanding, knowing all too well what the young princess was going through.

"Luba. What happened? You look almost as bad as when you got on Halinors bad side and started a fight." Alfor asked worried and making Luba growl at the reminder while the Formers glanced at Halinor who gave a teary guilty smile.

"The aurameres. One second they seemed to be normal, the next they had merged together and blasted the entire room." Luba said as Elyon healed the burnt fur and skin while the four teenaged former Guardians were finally able to stand on their own power.

"That's what happened to the girls. Their connections to their Aurameres were forcibly cut…but what does this mean?" Yan-lin asked looking worried, after all she had never heard of something like this happening before.

"What it means is that things are worse than I feared." The Oracle said causing everyone to look at him and be a bit scared. None of them, not even the Council Members, had ever seen the Oracle this worried or grim before.

The Former Guardians hadn't even seen him look this grim when Nerissa betrayed them and killed Cassidy. They soon learned why.

"The Heart of Kandrakar has done the unthinkable. It has chosen a new Keeper on it's own and _merged with them."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Betrayal of the Heart**

**By: FunahoMisaki**

**(A/N: I own nothing.)**

"Is that possible?" Tibor asked stunned, in all his years he had never heard of anything like that happening before.

"It seems so." The Oracle said looking a bit torn on how to react to this but he was seemingly leaning more towards the distraught side of the spectrum.

"But…it's the Heart of Kandrakar! Who could hold that much power inside of them?" Alfor seemed similarly stunned at hearing this. After all the Heart of Kandrakar was the last known relic of the nymph and princess Xin Jing! It was one of the strongest things in the known universe!

"This isn't the first time nor will it be the last that the Heart of a world is within a living person." The Oracle reminded as he glanced over at Elyon rather pointedly. The Heart of Meriddean was known for being passed down the royal family, mother to daughter.

There were also some other worlds where the Hearts were in living things, the world of dust and rocks where the Heart was in a Golem for instance. There was also Avalon whose royal family had the Heart passed down it as well, although not strictly to either gender.

"But those aren't the Heart of Kandrakar! Yes they are powerful, being the Heart of a world requires that, but they do not also contain the remnants of the Nymph Xin Jing's powers!" Tibor said and his eyes were stunned and showed slight fear. Such power in the hands of one person. It sent a chill down his spine.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't contain just the remains of her powers." Luba said grimly as she stood there tense and clenching her fists. She was one of the only two who knew the truth of that, it had been a very well-kept secret between her and the Oracle. After all it had been deemed to be far too dangerous to let the knowledge slip to anyone else as long as the Heart remained. But now that it was in the hands, and body, of someone else.

"It was one of the best kept secrets. That the jewel not just contained the Heart and the remains of her powers…but it also carried with it part of Xin Jings' soul." Oracle said nodding and knowing that he couldn't keep it a secret anymore. Not when the Heart was in someone else's hands, someone who he didn't know and wasn't in his sphere of influence.

"So now someone is wandering around with the powers of a Heart, including our elements, and with the soul of a Nymph in him or her?" Cornelia asked and she was clenching her fists. Her powers were gone. They were gone. She couldn't feel anything, not even a small connection that she usually had with any nearby plants.

She was as powerless as she had been before Will had come along to Heatherfield…and it was pissing her off!

"In a word? Yes." Oracle said nodding to her and he seemed to understand how much this was effecting the girls.

"What does this mean for both the universe and the girls?" Yan-lin asked looking worried as she glanced at her granddaughter who was staring around confused and mildly alarmed. She couldn't hear the wind. She wasn't able to hear the wind or hear anything that she usually could with her enhanced hearing. It was gone.

The wind was gone!

"The girls will be alright. We have elemental hearts that they can use. It is similar to the Heart of Kandrakar in that it will connect them to an auramere and allow them to transform. They won't be as strong as they were initially with the Heart since they're connected to the backup Aurameres which are merely copies of the true ones…however if they train it enough then they'll be able to regain their former abilities and levels of powers." Oracle said and Luba snorted slightly under her breath.

"Given how lazy most of the girls were with training their powers before…I don't hold out hope that they'll be able to do anything of worth with the elemental hearts." Luba muttered to Tibor and Alfor who winced. It was true after all.

Cornelia had always been too proud, thinking it would come to her naturally. Irma had been too much of a joker, not really interested in being serious about it and just skating by on what she could get to come naturally. Taranee had been scared of her powers for a while and even after she got over that fear she was more into reading about the tactics and getting the most use and effect out of her powers for the least amount of effort.

Ironically it was the rather air-headed Hay-lin who had been one of the ones to train the hardest with her powers, wanting to hone her enhanced hearing so that it didn't overwhelm her anymore and having loved the feeling of flying.

It was left unsaid that Will had put in the most work in trying to master her powers when they showed up, working on her enhanced strength and speed that came from her powers being internalized since they weren't strong enough to manifest externally until after the Veil was lowered.

"Halinor…I know that you are grieving your bonded…but do you mind gathering the elemental hearts for the girls?" The Oracle asked kindly and the former guardians all looked stunned and horrified.

"…" Halinor said nothing as she merely turned and walked from the room, swaying slightly as if she were in shock as she left the room.

"She and Will were…" Cassidy was heartbroken as she stared after her old friend. She knew what happened when one of the bonded pair died.

"They were going to make it a familial bond…they were working towards that after Halinor was freed from Nerissa. They hadn't managed to get there fully though, that's why she didn't sense Will's passing. Since the bond wasn't complete there is a…a chance that she won't…" Luba trailed off as she looked worriedly at where Halinor had gone.

"Bonded?" Irma was confused as she looked between the ones who apparently knew what that meant.

"Soul bonded…I believe on Earth most people call them soul mates? That can be both romantic and familial. It's usually up to the pair and the circumstances. Due to the age difference between them Halinor and Will agreed that it would be a family bond." Tibor said explaining it a bit to the girls who looked stunned at that as well. Will…and Halinor?

"They were working towards solidifying their family bond after Nerissa was taken care of…they weren't fully bonded before her death, that's why Halinor couldn't sense Will's demise like most bonded could." Alfor said sadly, he knew what usually happened when one of a pair of bonded died.

"Most bonded do not live long without their other bonded. The longest case was when one part of a romantically paired bonded died and the other was pregnant with their child…it was only the baby that kept the other bonded going…when she miscarried…that was it. She lost the will to live and just wilted away." The Oracle said looking pained as he recalled that, he had known them after all.

"So then…Halinor will…" Taranee looked distraught at hearing what was going to happen to Halinor.

Luba was the one to give them a helpless uncertain look as she answered the unasked question.

"We are…unsure. They weren't fully bonded. It's possible that the bond not being complete will let Halinor hang on to her life but…we will have to watch her closely to make sure she doesn't waste away or take her own life."


	5. Chapter 5

**Betrayal of the Heart**

**By: FunahoMisaki**

**(A/N: I own nothing.)**

Halinor was in a daze as she went to fetch the elemental hearts. Her body moved on autopilot but even still seemed to sway slightly to a breeze that wasn't there. Her mind was clouded with grief and soul crushing despair.

She was gone. Will was gone. Will, her Will, was gone from the universe. No longer there. No longer going to pop up in Kandrakar for tea with Halinor when things were slow, no longer going to shyly ask for help with her math homework. No longer going to be there to fetch Halinor and bring her to Earth, back to Heatherfield of all places, to have regular meet ups with Yan-lin, Cassidy, and Kadma.

There was no more Will. No more Will to talk to about different aspects of the girls growing powers that Nerissa wasn't around to tell her about. No more Will to confide some of the stupid things her colleagues on the council had done over the years. No more Will who brought her games and books from Earth to help keep her entertained after an off hand comment about how there was often nothing to do here in the palace.

No Will…no more of her other half. The other half of her very _soul _was just _gone._

There would be no more after school meetups to just talk and have tea or help the younger girl study or listen to her vent about her friends when they did something stupid or funny at the most inopportune moment. No more bonding over books that Will brought for her or games that Will let her borrow in order to try, even if it had taken almost an hour for Will to show her how to work some of the gaming systems that were completely new to her. After all she had left Earth in the fifties. None of those types of games had been invented yet.

No more Will to walk her through a card game that her friends didn't seem to care for but Halinor was fascinated by, if only for how happy and excited Will had gotten when Halinor asked her to explain it. There would be no more Will who sometimes dragged Halinor, and occasionally one of the others under a glamour, to the movie theaters to show them the latest movie that she thought they might like.

Halinor was still in a daze but she gave a small sad smile as she considered how Luba must be feeling. The cat woman was the closest one to Will on the council aside from Halinor herself, having taken the red head under her paws as a sort of protégé. Halinor had spent several afternoons enjoying tea while watching Luba give Will some training in sword play or martial arts, the girls enhanced strength needing some refining and tempering after she had accidentally punched a hole through a solid marble pillar.

Halinor wouldn't claim to be the closest to Luba, they were friends sure but not quite close…but even she had seen how Luba seemed to have taken to Will as if the girl was a stray kitten that needed guidance and perhaps a firm hand at times.

Now though….now Will was gone. Gone forever. There was no more thoughts in the blonds mind that weren't her own, the muttering and sometimes rambled thoughts belonging to the red head quiet. Halinor would no longer hear some rather creative descriptions or curses or plans in the back of her mind while she had nothing to do but wander the fortress. She would no longer have to bite the inside of her lip or her tongue to keep from laughing during a serious council meeting or even just a serious talk due to the red heads thoughts taking a funny turn.

No longer would she have to avoid laughing at the very sight of the Oracle after she had heard a half awake Will's thoughts on how the council robes looked like dresses…along with a mental picture of the Oracle waring a blue and white sundress. Halinor wasn't even sure that Will remembered that thought, after all the girl had been half awake half asleep due to the apparent early hour.

No longer would she have the red head popping up at random or staying the night on Halinors couch at random after she got into an argument with her mother for some reason or another. No longer would Halinor be able to whisper quiet soothing thoughts into the girls mind when she needed to keep a level head or was just having a bad day. No longer would she be able to just _feel_ the girls presence.

She wouldn't hear another joke from the girl, from the other half of her very existence.

She would no longer try to keep a straight face while the girl was whispering jokes in her mind or aloud out of the corner of her mouth. No more would she see confused faces of the other council members like when during a meeting the Oracle had said it was time to get down to business and Will, completely straight faced, had immediately replied with 'to defeat the huns'. The younger guardians had all cracked up in their own ways, as had Yan-lin and Cassidy and even Luba while Halinor tried to keep from giggling.

Seeing Wills completely straight face while the rest of the Council and Kadma had looked baffled had broken her into a full on laugh however. Had made her laugh harder and more than she had since Cassidy died.

There was no more Will, would be no more of those fun happy times. No more sweet but feisty red head to sooth the cracks and broken pieces of Halinor and give her courage when she had thought she had none. She would no longer be there to heal the fractured and shattered pieces of the younger girl and give her not just advice but also a warm hand, more level head, and unconditional acceptance.

She was gone and Halinor could feel her heart shattering in her chest still. The pieces of the heart that had broken as soon as she heard the news breaking further and further with every step she took. The walls of the fortress had seemed to be so bright this morning when she woke up to hear Will's thoughts already going a mile a minute about different school work she needed or had to do and then about the attack of the leftover Lurdens.

The walls and world around her had seemed so bright, she had felt so happy and light as a feather in a way she hadn't since she lost her Guardian wings…but then…then those thoughts had gone silent and she had feared that perhaps the girl was hurt. She had thought that Will had fallen unconscious and had been ready to go as soon as she saw the fold open in front of her and her old friends. She had been so worried when she had returned to Kandrakar and hadn't seen the red head but only the dirtied and distraught forms of the other four.

Everything was so dark now to her eyes. So dark and gloomy without the younger girl. Without the muttered thoughts in her mind that went down ten different rabbit trails an hour it seemed. With the knowledge that the second half of her soul was gone and not coming back. Gone like Cassidy had been all those years ago. Gone like Nerissa may as well be now.

This morning everything was so bright and light but now…now it was all dark and heavy. As if something had stolen all the color and brightness from her vision and an invisible weight was pressing down on her from all sides. Her light was gone.

Her light. Her Will. It was gone. She was gone. She was gone and Halinor hadn't even _felt it._

Why didn't she feel it?

"We will try to find whoever has merged with the Heart of Kandrakar…however with them being the Heart of this world then that means that whoever it is…they can shield themselves from our sight." She heard the Oracle talking to the girls when she returned, the four pendants in her hand which was just dangling at her side.

"So we're being left in the dark again." Cornelia summed up and she didn't sound happy about it. Not that anyone could blame her. Usually everyone was sure that the Heart would chose a worthy pure hearted wielder, Nerissa having been chosen by the Oracle instead of the Heart itself as Halinor had learned over the years, but this time there was no way to know who had merged with the Heart. After all what kind of person merges with the Heart of Kandrakar? How strong would they have to be to wield that kind of power?

Not that Halinor cared. She might have before…she might have this morning…but now. Halinor found she didn't really care what happened to her or about anything at all really.

"I'm truly sorry but we know as much as you do. If young Will had still been alive-"And those words sent a sharp piercing stab of pain through Halinor and her mind let out a cry of anguish and sorrow. The younger guardians fell to their knees again, and Halinor noticed how the others had winced visibly. Even the Oracle had flinched badly.

They all turned and noticed her standing there now as she slowly walked into the room. Her body still swaying unsteadily and her steps unsure as she walked towards them.

"You're broadcasting Hallie." Cassidy said softly and Halinor frowned for a second. She hadn't felt any drain on her life force to indicate any usage of her powers. She'd probably feel it later then…not that she cared how much it drained her.

"My apologies." Halinor's voice was dead and emotionless even to her own ears, and she did her best to lock down all of her thoughts and her mind again behind her mental shields that had a little over forty years of strength and experience put into them.

"The Elemental hearts sir." Halinor said holding the pendants out to the Oracle who nodded to her with a kind worried smile and took them from her hand which then fell limply back to her side.

Halinor didn't pay any attention as he gave them to the girls who immediately put them on.

She didn't stick around to watch as they transformed though. There should be five girls transforming and exclaiming in joy over their powers and wings…instead there was four and the missing fifth one left a hole as big as the Grand Canyon in Halinors mind and stood out to her like a neon sign on a dark night.

She didn't even look at anyone else as she turned and stumbled from the room, just needing to get away from them. Will should be there. But if she was there then this meeting wouldn't be happening. But she should still be there! Will shouldn't be gone. Shouldn't be in the dark and cold and dying on another world.

She should be here with Halinor. Should have been stumbling her way into the reunion and flopping down on the seat that was left empty for her and faceplanting on the table. Should have them all watching amused as she took a minute before she, not for the first time, looked up at them and clearly told them that they weren't going to believe what her dumbass friends did this time.

She shouldn't be gone where Halinor couldn't reach. She should be here. They should all be back at the Silver Dragon laughing and eating and drinking tea and just enjoying the moment.

But she was gone. Gone. Gone. The noise in her mind was gone. The muttering thoughts of Will were gone. The light was gone.

Will was gone…and Halinor felt as if she had died as well.


	6. Chapter 6

**Betrayal of the Heart**

**By: FunahoMisaki**

**(A/N: I own nothing.)**

The remaining three former guardians saw how their blond haired fire wielder fled from the room and glanced at each other as the younger ones transformed and, rather unnecessarily, called out their powers like some sort of roll call. It wasn't needed for them to do that and the formers hoped that the girls didn't do it every time. They'd be caught in an instant on a stealth mission.

Right now that wasn't important however. The three of them had noticed the way Halinor had fled from the room, and glancing at each other they didn't even need telepathy to know that they were all on the same page. The three formers quickly chased after their blond and only dimly noticed that Elyon was following them.

"Sometimes I forget that Hallie was the more athletic one." Kadma muttered as she chased after the blond, the others having to nearly run to catch up while Kadma was moving at a brisk walk. She had longer legs than them…and she didn't want Cassidy or the young queen to get lost in the fortress. Again in Cassidy's case.

"Not to mention that she probably gets plenty of time to walk or run around here when it's boring." Cassidy said and the others hummed in agreement.

"Plus she knows all the shortcuts and everything." Yan-lin said wincing and glad that she was still very much active in the restaurant which let her keep up with the other three.

The only way they were able to keep up with Halinor at all is because they saw brief glimpses of her hair or robe when she would make a turn, and sometimes a look of her near running down the hallways when she'd go straight for a little while.

Finally she ducked into one room and the others were able to catch up.

"Ha-" Kadma yanked Cassidy back out of the doorway when Halinor _screamed_. It was a terrible soul wrenching scream that sent shivers down their spines and chilled them to the bone. It wasn't just a scream however. It was accompanied by a large burst of green fire that scorched and burned the room she was in, and had almost hit Cassidy if Kadma hadn't had grabbed her.

"Thanks Kaddie." Cassidy said letting out a breath of relief and making Kadma smirk slightly at her.

"I'm still saving your ass even after forty years. Some things never change huh Cass?" Kadma said and Yan-lin snorted slightly, but there was another blast of fire and scream from Halinor that brought them back to what they were really here for. Not that they forgot.

"She's going to end up using all of her life force if she keeps going like this." Yan-lin said worried, she knew how much life force it took to even do simple things like turn invisible much less use full force fire power.

"That might be what she wants." Kadma said grimly and the others winced as well.

"Elyon can you shield me enough to try and get through to Hallie?" Cassidy asked making the young queen nod looking concerned. Cassidy saw more than felt the shimmering glow of magic form around her as she stepped back into the doorway, only to yelp and duck back after she tried to take a single step into the room.

"No good. She's got lava and fire going and she's definitely not controlling it." Cassidy reported while she noticed that the shimmering shield of a sort had a large crack in it where the fire had struck at her.

"She's crying lava from what I saw but it's not drying as fast as it should, the fire's probably keeping it hot enough to not solidify. And it only passively grazed me until I tried to enter the room. That's when it lashed out." Cassidy reported to the others who winced at this.

"That means that Halinor's definitely not in control. She'd never attack the baby of the group, especially not with lava." Yan-lin said grimacing as well and making Kadma nod in agreement, the both of them remembering how devastated Halinor was at Cassidy's death. She had been the telepath after all…and…she had never told them explicitly what happened that night but she had sensed Cassidy's death. She had only ever said that Cassidy called out for her and she had listened but hadn't been fast enough to save the red head.

There was no way in the known universe she'd lash out at Cassidy and risk losing her again, especially not by her own hand.

"If anything it looks like her powers are reacting to her and trying to protect or sooth her." Elyon said glancing around the doorframe, ducking back next to Cassidy when a flame came near her.

"_WILL!"_ The howl of pure grief and anguish, along with the mental scream to match, nearly drove the formers to their knees. Elyon was driven to her knees but stood back up almost immediately.

"But something is definitely fishy about this. There's no way she should be able to use this much of her powers without exhausting herself, not without a heart." Kadma said although her eyes were filled with pain. One of her oldest and closest friends was in such pain and sorrow and there wasn't anything Kadma could do to help. God she felt so _useless._

"You're telling me. I couldn't even turn invisible for ten minutes without nearly exhausting myself. She's using fire, lava, and telepathy however and still going strong." Yan-lin said and her eyes shown with the same pain as Kadma's.

"She probably is too far into her grief to even feel the drain. If she doesn't pass out soon though then her life force might be-" Cassidy cut herself off, not wanting to think about it.

"Queen Elyon? Can you please protect me with your powers? I might be able to make it further in and get her attention." Kadma requested and Elyon nodded, covering the older woman with her magic.

"Good luck Kat." Cassidy winced as there was another burst of fire and then Kadma entered the room. The other three peeked into it behind a shield Elyon put up and watched as Kadma made it two steps into the room before the fire lashed out at her.

"Halinor!" Kadma called to her friend, ignoring the fire as best as she could.

"Halinor it's me Kadma!" Kadma shouted but Halinor didn't seem to hear her, tears of lava falling down her face and forming a pool of magma underneath the kneeling blond woman. Not that the lava affected her at all. It was her element and she had many more years of training than Taranee did or indeed most guardians. Even without being hooked up to a heart or auramere she still had her built up resistance to her own element, something most guardians never got.

"Gotta admit that looks badass." Elyon muttered making Cassidy snort.

"Halinor!" Kadma tried to get closer but the fire lashed out at her again, stronger than before.

Halinor let out another howl of anguish and pain before the fire and lava seemed to swirl around her, something that made the other four back up a bit with their hearts leaping into their throats.

"_**WILL!"**_ The mental and physical scream of the girls name, of Halinor's bonded, made all of them recoil in pain but stare with wide eyes as the fire and lava completely covered Halinor in a small hurricane of the element.

When it died down and the fire was gone as the lava began to cool…Halinor was nowhere to be found.

"No…" Kadma sunk to her knees in defeat, staring at where her old friend had been just a few seconds ago.

"Hallie." Cassidy had her hands over her mouth and tears in her eyes. Yan-lin looked devastated as she closed her eyes and bowed her head. Elyon kept quiet and looked upset as well but gave the three older women some time.

They had lost yet another dear friend.


	7. Chapter 7

**Betrayal of the Heart**

**By: FunahoMisaki**

**(A/N: I own nothing.)**

Shortly after she lost consciousness, her last thought being of her family and bonded…Will woke up.

"Wha-?!" Will let out a yelp as she awoke, not only did she not expect to wake up ever again…but she certainly hadn't expected to wake up in what looked like an old fashioned Chinese temple. She certainly didn't expect to see four large dragons standing over her.

"Be at peace young Heart. You shall not be harmed here." A womans voice said and Will blinked as she looked at the sole other human that seemed to be there. She looked vaguely like Yan-lin and Hay-lin…but…also…different as well. She had definite Asian features, but that wasn't what caught Will's attention the most. Most of the similarities seemed to come from the way her hair was styled, the bun it was in. Not just that but her dark pink and greyish kimono was rather beautiful, it resembled a green one that Will had seen Yan-lin wear before and a blue one Hay-lin had worn once.

"You know who I am I suppose?" The woman asked and Will noticed how she had some sparks that ran through her hair, familiar sparks.

"Quintessence…and four dragons? You're the Nymph Xin Jing." Will said blinking as her mind ticked through what she could see. It was something that Halinor had told her before. Don't listen to what you hear or what other people tell you. Base your decisions off of what you can see.

"Correct. I knew you were a clever one as soon as you were given my crystal." Xin Jing said smiling proudly at the red head.

"Where am I? And how am I still alive? I thought the other girls killed me?" Will asked looking confused and feeling a stab of pain at recalling how they had tried to kill her.

"When the blond one with my power loosened the rocks of the cliff…she unsealed a cave that we had sealed ourselves in all those centuries ago." The large green and brown dragon said and his voice was like boulders clashing against one another.

Will looked up and got a better look at each of the dragons. They were all large of course, much bigger than her, but the brown and blue ones were much bigger than the light purple one or red one. Now that she got a good look at them with a clearer mind, not one fogged by sleep or her perceived death, she could see them better and see differences other than the color and sizes of the four large creatures.

The brown and green one was by far the biggest and while it had a green underbelly that was obviously scales, the apparent mane of the dragon was more like leaves than anything and it seemed almost as if there was bark at some parts over the scars. The eyes were a warm light green color.

The blue one was actually several shades of blue and light green all seeming to mix together with very light blue for the mane…in fact the mane almost looked like foam. The belly scales were a mix of dark blue and green and it almost seemed as if the colors of the scales were flowing across the dragons body. This dragon had a light blue color for its eyes.

The next one that Will looked at was a light purple and whitish color that seemed to flicker in and out of view at some parts. This dragon was more of an eastern one instead of the western styled dragons the other two had. Which means it has whiskers and some trim but no mane. Most of the body was a light purple color with the trim being the white color and it seemed as if the whiskers and some of the trim were rustling in a breeze that Will couldn't feel. The eyes…the eyes were completely white, no pupil or anything.

The final dragon…it made Will's eyes widen and her heart to clench. It reminded her of Halinor for some reason. Most the eastern style dragon's body was red-orange but had hints of green that seemed to flicker in and out. The whiskers and trim were a golden yellow color and the eyes were a warm amber color.

"It's nice to finally meet you young one." The fire dragon, and there was no way she could be anything other than the dragon of fire, said and her voice was warm and gentle with an undercurrent of firmness to it.

"Nice to meet you all too?" Will questioned more than anything as she looked around at them confused.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you face to face young keeper, although I wish that it had happened differently." Xin Jing said and Will blinked slowly.

"Yeah…can someone fill me in on what happened please? I thought I died." Will said looking confused and wary.

"You were close to it, very close. However your heritage and connection to the Heart saved you, it brought you here, into the subrealm of the Heart, in order to save you." Xin Jin said and Will blinked once and then a second time.

"Okay. What's this about my heritage?" Will asked making the dragons chuckle slightly.

"You're my direct descendant. You're the direct descendant of myself and that makes you the _True _Keeper of the Heart and in fact the one who shall _become_ the Heart of Kandrakar." Xin Jing said completely honest and blunt about it. After all it was better to rip off the band-aid as it were.

"O…kay?" Will looked lost now as she stared at Xin Jing silently and then at the dragons who were watching her calmly. Everything was quiet as Will waited for one of them to say that they were joking…everything…was…quiet.

Will's eyes widened as she realized something, a stabbing feeling hitting her heart. She couldn't hear her. She couldn't hear Halinors soft murmurs in her mind. Halinor's soft calming thoughts weren't in the back of Will's mind like they should be! There were no funny thoughts on her friends doing or saying something stupid, no calming thoughts when Will's temper began to fray, no reassuring thoughts when Will was having a bad day or had a fight with her mom.

"Halinor…my bonded. What happened?! What happened to her?!" Will demanded gasping as she felt like part of her heart was gone, her mind casting out and searching for Halinors worried thoughts.

"You merged with the Heart and were pulled into the subrealm in order to save and heal you. Doing this cut off your mental connection to your bonded. For both of you it will feel as if your mental connection is gone." Xin Jing said her voice calming and trying to be soothing.

"What?!" That seemed to have the opposite effect on Will however.

"She won't feel my thoughts. She'll think I'm really dead! Quick you've gotta send me back! I've gotta go back and show her I'm still alive!" Will said looking frantic, she couldn't let Halinor think she was dead. They weren't fully bonded but were still soul bonded. If Halinor thought she was dead then-

"If you leave here right now it is likely that you will die. You are badly hurt outside of here. While your mental bond may not be there at the moment you should still be able to feel you in her heart and you should be able to feel her in yours." Xin Jing tried to calm Will down with that but Will was frantic as she casted her mind to try and connect with Halinors.

"Bring her here! She won't be able to concentrate on our heart connection if she can't feel our mental one! If I can't leave bring her here!" Will said and her eyes were wild. She wasn't able to focus on their heart connection either right now, not with their mental one being completely numb.

"Child in the ten minutes you've been here and awake…it's been almost an hour outside of here-" The large earth dragon was cut off by Will looking at him with a piercing but wild look.

"I don't care! I don't care about that! Bring her here! You either bring her here or I will! I can't just leave her out there to think I'm dead!" Will said and the nymph merely smiled at her calmly.

"If that is what you wish to do, young Heart, then do so. Bring your bonded here. We were going to suggest calling her here soon anyways." Xin Jing said making Will give her a relieved look.

"How?! How do I bring her here?" Will asked making Xin Jing smile softly at her.

"Just feel for her. Feel her presence within your heart. Concentrate on her soul, her connection to your heart." Xin Jing instructed and Will closed her eyes as she reached for the connection she shared with Halinor. She could feel it after only a few seconds of searching, Halinor was using up a lot of life force but her connection to Will ended up feeding the older woman some of her excessive energy to keep the woman from using up most of her life force.

"Once you've found her…just grab your connection and pull her here." Xin Jing said and Will made sure she grabbed onto the bond with both of her hands and all of her strength. She felt as warm hands grabbed onto her as well, Halinor was trying to grab her as well or at least felt Wills hands and wanted to go along.

Then she _pulled_ with all of her might.

There was a large flash of fire and some lava and then Will had a sudden weight in her arms.

"Halinor." Will said relieved and she could feel how their mental connection snapped back into place now that they were both together again.

"Will." Halinor didn't care how it was possible, she buried her face in Will's shoulder and cried. Although this time they were tears of happiness and relief that the other female was still alive.

"It's alright Halinor. I'm here now." Will said softly as she held Halinor tight and close.

Neither of them even noticed that Halinor was still crying tears of lava. Nor that Will wasn't even damaged by the lava, the only thing that it did was burn at her clothes.

They didn't notice at all until after their hug when Halinor remember her very lethal tears.


End file.
